Cupressus leylandii tree named ‘Madeline’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Cupressus leylandii  tree is described herein. The new variety is resistant to fungus and possesses increased growth rate (e.g., height, spread, trunk) compared to the commercially-available Leyland Cypress ‘Leighton Green’.

Botanical denomination (Latin name): Cupressus leylandii.

Varietal denomination: ‘Madeline’.

BACKGROUND

The Leyland Cypress (Cupressus leylandii) is a fast-growing evergreentree used in horticulture. They are commonly planted as hedges orscreens in gardens as a way to produce a boundary or create moreprivacy. Although Leyland Cyprus is a quick-growing plant, it haslimitations. A major concern of the Leyland Cypress is itssusceptibility to disease caused by fungus. For example, in regions withhot summers, Leyland Cyprus is very prone to the cypress canker causedby the fungus Seridium cardinale, which can ultimately kill the tree.Thus, it would be desirable to have a variety of Leyland Cypress that ismore resistant to diseases caused by fungus as well as other favorableproperties associated with Leyland Cypress. Described herein is a newcultivar of Leyland Cypress that addresses these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new cultivar of Leyland Cypress is a naturally occurring sport of‘Leighton Green’, a commercially-available Leyland Cypress grown in anursery in Newberry, Fla. The new cultivar was discovered as anaturally-occurring whole plant mutation. The new variety of LeylandCypress named ‘Madeline’ was asexually reproduced in Leesburg, Fla. byrooting cuttings of Leyland Cypress in potted soil. Plants grown fromthe cuttings were subsequently planted in 5-gallon containers, with someplants grown in Sumterville, Fla. (USDA Hardiness level 9) and othersgrown in Cairo, Ga. (USDA Hardiness level 8). The plant cannot bereproduced true from seed. Three successive generations of the newcultivar have been asexually reproduced, and all of the cultivars haveremained true to type.

Below is a list of distinguishing features of the new cultivar‘Madeline’ described herein when grown under normal horticulturalpractices in Sumterville, Fla. and Cairo, Ga.

-   -   1. Resistant to diseases caused by fungus Seridium cardinale.    -   2. Increased height growth and spread growth.    -   3. Dark, attractive green color. The needle color is art green #        125 according to Maerz and Paul Dictionary of Color.    -   4. Needle tissue is thicker when compared to the        commercially-available Leyland Cypress ‘Leighton Green’. The        scale like needle foliage emanating from the main branches has a        larger needle diameter (approximately 10%) when compared to        those of the needle thickness of ‘Leighton Green’.    -   5. The needle-like leaves are farther apart from one another.    -   6. Increased rate of trunk caliper when compared to ‘Leighton        Green’ (i.e., rate of trunk growth faster for cultivars of the        present invention vs. ‘Leighton Green’).

As shown above, the new cultivar has a number of desirable features. Ingeneral, the new cultivar is resistant to fungus infestation when grownin Sumterville, Fla. and Cairo, Ga. In particular, the new cultivar isresistant to Seridium cardinale compared to ‘Leighton Green’. This is adesirable feature in view of the susceptibility ofcommercially-available Leyland Cypress to fungus-causing diseases. Thenew cultivar also grows faster in height and spread growth by about 30%compared to other varieties of Leyland Cypress known to the inventor.Moreover, rate of trunk growth is faster by about 10% compared to othervarieties of Leyland Cypress, which is indicative of a stronger rootsystem typically not present in Leyland Cypress. In summary, the newcultivar is a robust plant that has many desirable features not presentin known varieties of Leyland Cypress.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a photograph of Cupressus leylandii ‘Madeline’ in a 200 galloncontainer.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new cultivar based onobservations of a seven year old specimen grown in a 200 galloncontainer at a nursery in Sumterville, Fla.

-   Form: Large, dense, and broadly pyramidal.-   Height: Approximately 20′.-   Width: Approximately 9′.-   Trunk: Diameter between 5¼ and 5½ inches.-   Needles: Dark green with spacing between needles of at least 0.1 cm    farther apart compared to the commercially-available Leyland Cypress    ‘Leighton Green’.-   Pests: None serious.

Branching in 8-9′ tall trees in 15-gallon containers is composed ofuniform lateral branching with observed branches every 4-5 cm growing atright angles from the trunk. At the trunk the diameter of the branch is1 cm and the color of the branch is asphaltum #81 according to Maerz andPaul Dictionary of Color. The newer sections of the branch are alcanna#40. Branches are 65 long, stable, and have a strong cedar likefragrance.

1. A new and unique variety of Cupressus leylandii tree named ‘Madeline’as herein shown and described.